Post-'don't ask', gay Navy Lt. marries

Minutes after the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy took effect at midnight, Navy Lt. Gary Ross and his partner were married in a Vermont ceremony that emphasized the new freedom of expression that gay soldiers can now embrace.

With Ross in his military dress uniform, the couple recited their vows right after midnight - the first possible moment after the military’s contentious DADT policy was ended, reports the AP.

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Ross and his partner, civilian Dan Swezy, traveled from their home in Tucson, Ariz., so they could get married in Vermont - one of the six states that have legalized same-sex marriage. Vermont was also chosen because it is in the Eastern time zone, and thus was among the first places in the United States where the clock struck midnight.

“We feel that it’s important that as soon as we’re allowed to commit to each other that we do,” Ross told the Associated Press before the ceremony. “It’s important not to hide anymore.”

Ross is a 2002 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and currently serves as an officer for the Army. He says he doesn’t plan to advertise that he’s gay, or married to a man, but that the end of the DADT policy will mean being able to avoid lying, and talk more openly with his coworkers.

“If you’re standing watch at midnight on a surface ship, there’s not much to talk about,” he said to the AP. “It becomes very difficult to trust someone you can’t be honest with.”

President Barack Obama signed the law repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell last December. Under the policy, gay individuals were allowed to serve in the military as long as they did not openly acknowledge their sexual orientation; their superiors were, in turn, not allowed to ask about sexual orientation.

The Department of Defense’s new policy calls for an end to investigations based on sexual orientation, and allows for the reinstatement of troops that were separated for being gay.

“It remains the policy of the Department of Defense that sexual orientation is a personal and private matter, to treat all members with dignity and respect, and to ensure maintenance of good order and discipline,” wrote Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford Stanley in a memo issued on the new policy guidelines.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell may be repealed, but the controversy does not end here. As POLITICO’s Morning Defense notes, the Department of Defense’s new policies still contain aspects that are objectionable to both sides of the debate. There is no accomodation for troops opposed to serving with gay colleagues, and the Pentagon - citing the federal Defense of Marriage Act - has refused to extend military benefits to same-sex partners.